URBS 321 Environmental Urbanism
This course explores themes in environmental history, planning, and sustainability. Students engage questions about the definition of "natural" and "constructed" environments; the slipping boundaries between so-called "exurban" and open spaces; and political modes of retaining or defining natural space. Other possible topics include how land-use practices can lead to air pollution, inefficient energy consumption, and inequitable resource distribution. The course also examines efforts to address the environmental ills facing cities and their surroundings. Prerequisites: WRIT 313, Advanced Academic Writing; LSCI 105, Information Theory and Practice, or LSCI 106, Information Sources in Architecture and Interior Design or, LSCI 205, Information in the Disciplines; MDST 120, Public Speaking